Flash hider



Jan. 25, 1944. s.. G. GREEN FLASH HIDER Filed July 8, 1942 'ju/www1; 5amuel [3- GPE En Patented Jan. 25, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370O. G. 757) 1 Claim.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and usedv by or forthe Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me ofany royalty thereon.

This invention relates to automatic weapons, and in particular to thoseutilizing propulsive gases as recoil checks, boosters and other uses,and which carry relief ports to eject gases rapidly at the end of a ringcycle in preparation for a succeeding round.

In such devices the high speeds of operation often result in theejection of gases which are not entirely spent and therefore which willbe accompanied by a flash betraying the location of the gun.Furthermore, such a ash, in night firing would have a tendency to blinda gunner who may have spent considerable time accustoming his eyes tothe obscure light conditions. Muzzle ashes represent a problem mainly inrespect of betraying the gun position and various proposals have beenmade and devices employed to remedy the defect. This invention isconcerned mainly with hiding the flashes which emanate from lateralports in the gun.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide means foreffectively hiding from the gunner the lateral flash from gun barrels,and it is a further object of the invention to provide means forimproving the hiding from the enemy of the lateral ash from gun barrels,

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects andadvantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferredembodiment as shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is an axial sectional View of the muzzle end of a gun barrelembodying the invention, and

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, there is shown agun barrel I designed to recoil within a jacket 2, an annular member 3being attached to the jacket 2 as by threads and furnishing a bearingsurface for sliding of the barrel I. A further cylindrical piece 4 isthreaded into the member 3 and serves as an expansion chamber to utilizegases to aid recoiling of the barrel by impinging against the forwardrim thereof. To aid in this reaction a constriction is provided in theforward part of the expansion chamber, which, in the form shown,comprises a tubular member 5 held by pins 6 and having a rear beveledface 'I.

Integral with the expansion chamber housing 4 is a flared mouth 8 forcooling gases by expansion and thus reducing muzzle ash.

A ring member 9 is provided between the barrel l and member 3 to sealthe gases in the expansion chamber until the barrel I has attained thedesired recoil. The ring 9 is retained between members 3 and 4.

After the barrel clears the ring 9 in recoil, the gases are free toescape through a series of ports I0 spaced peripherally about the member3.

A disk member I I received on the member 4 or in any convenient locationserves as a screen to prevent the flash from ports I0 being seen by theenemy.

Attached to the jacket 2 and member 3 by screws I2 is a sleeve I3 havinga stepped portion I4 of increased diameter overlying the ports Ill. Thissleeve serves both as a screen and as a baffle, since it eifetivelyscreens the flash at ports Ill from the eyes of the gunner and alsodeiiects the gases so as to lessen the danger of their extending beyondthe effective screening zone of disk screen Il. Obviously the coveringportion I4 of sleeve I3 may have forms other than parallel andconcentric with the gun barrel, and in particular may have a conicalform with diameter increasing in a direction forward of the gun barrelso as to carom the gases into effective screening range of the disk IIand yet Oier a minimum of resistance to eiilux from the ports I0.

I claim:

In combination with a recoiling gun barrel, a tubular member surroundingthe muzzle portion of the gun barrel and extending beyond the muzzle,the said portion of the tubular member extending beyond the muzzle whenthe barrel is in battery position constituting a combustion chamber, aportion of the said tubular member being spaced from the gun barrel toform an, annular scavenger chamber, gas-tight partition meanscooperating With the gun barrel to separate the said combustion andscavenger chambers, the said scavenger chamber portion of the tubularmem--4 ber being provided with ports for the efflux of the burnt gasespassing from the combustion chamber into the scavenger chamber uponrecoil of the gun barrel, a shield for the said burnt gases in the formof a short sleeve surrounding the said scavenger ports secured at oneend to the said tubular member and presenting an annular opening at itsmuzzle end, and a disc secured to the tubular member in advance of thesaid sleeve adapted to shield the said annular opening of the saidsleeve and to deflect the burnt gases issuing from the said mouth of thesleeve shield.

SAMUEL G. GREEN.

